Holy Cow....I hit a cow!

[Uncle Jesse]

That's tough Jim, I'm glad you weren't injured were you coming through Salt River Canyon or Payson? The road through Payson is great the Salt River route, I will avoid.

[Gemrod]

I was returning to via Globe to Show Low via Salt River Canyon. 'tis about 30 miles believe it or not...maybe 20....across the valley....meaning a distance to traverse if you want to cross from one exit toward Show Low....to the Other exit toward Show Low. Like goint up to Globe or over to Payson highway. Anyway if I am heading to the valley near Mesa/Tempe I go down via Payson. If I am in East Mesa I go home via Globe. The canyon does not bother me. I just choose the route on convienence. However no more. I will take my chances with the elk 'tween Payson and Heber/Show Low. I told the patrolman too bad it's open range. He said AZ IS an open range state. But where I hit the cow is NOT open range. The cattle are just not controlled adequately as the fences are not maintaind that well. So, I wonder if I should sue someone? It was some rancher making money off cattle, that did not control his stock properly and I have to pay the price. I know, unfortunately others have paid a worse price. A person came by and exclaimed, "holy crap (not his words) they can't keep the cows off this road? Those cows were here this morning when I drove thru..."

I am lucky. And I know it. If I hit that cow straight on instead of just in the head I and my truck would not be around anymore. I would be 6' under.

[kbproctor]

Since AZ is an open range state, you will be lucky if the rancher does not demand payment for his loss of beef. If the fences are not maintained that well, it's a safe bet the rancher won't be held liable. If there was a chance that he would be, the fences would be good.

[Lew]

That's got to be worse even than nailing a deer -- a frequent occurrence where I live. At least cows don't jump up to windshield height.

My son hit a black cow one dark night, and it not only jumped to windshield height, it squashed the roof of the car down considerably. He was lucky it did, instead of coming through the window. Hitting a critter of any substantial mass results in varying degrees of unpleasantness. Saw a car that was totalled after hitting a pig. Not pretty.

[FishnDave]

I can relate.
Back in about 1992, I was driving from Iowa to NW Nebraska, up in the Sandhills area. I'd been driving for like 9 hours straight. Driving condtions were white-knuckle...There had been long stretches of some 100% ice-covered roads I had been traveling on. It was dark. I was on a blacktop road, this particular section not ice-covered, fortunately, but I was still driving under the speedlimit because of the conditions (it was drizzling, and temps were hovering around the freezing mark). I was coming around a curve, heading into a small town. So, I flipped my bright headlights to the normal headlights, and just then a black cow was in the roadway right in front of me. I was probably going 35mph by this time, and I hit the brakes, but still hit the cow. I mostly just pushed it off to the side of the road into the ditch. I think it survived. I dunno, I didn't stop. I still had another hour+ of driving to get to my destination. I ended up with a big dented front-end, and the radiator had been pushed back onto the fan-shaft. I wanted to stop in the little town and notify someone...but all the businesses were closed, even the gas station. So I kept going, and reached my destination. I got the truck fixed the next day. Fortunately, it was the company's vehicle, and not my personal vehicle.

Had the road/weather conditions been better, I might have been going faster upon impact. Had I not switched off my brights when I did, I might have seen the cow in time to avoid hitting it. There were a few other cows there, too, but I only hit the one.

[JeffHamm]

Glad to hear you're ok! Back home it's moose you need to worry about most at night.

- Jeff

[shorthaul]

glad you're ok---we had llamas wondering the interstate last week in Ohio.

[Gemrod]

The area of the incident was on the Indian reservation. But the patrolman said it was NOT an open range area. That there was indeed fencing, which I could not see in the dark. I presume this will turn out to be their PRIZE cow worth $10,000.

Oh woe is me.......

[Uncle Jesse]

Coming across from that road I'm just glad you didn't run off the road, some of those shoulders drop several 100 ft. I'm guessing. I'm too much of a flat lander to be driving that road, especially at night. Seems like I remember seeing some pretty flimsy looking fencing, I always figured it was just hard digging a post hole in rock. Again, glad you were not hurt physically and I hope the fiscal pain in minimum also. Does uninsured motorists coverge cover cows?

[popperfly]

I have hit 8 deer, 6 in Michiagn and 2 here in Tennessee burning up the roads, or should I say they hit me I know what kind of damage a deer can do to a vehicle/truck, but a COW!!!! OMG no telling what all happen.

Thank GOD!! you're OK